The present disclosure relates to a book binding apparatus which performs a first process on media, and which performs a second process on the media that undergo the first process, thereby performing book binding, and more particularly a book binding apparatus which punches holes in a medium, and which binds a plurality of punched media with a binder into a booklet.
A binder for binding commercially available loose-leaf sheets, or sheets which undergo a punching process using punches is available.
A book binding apparatus which uses such a binder, and which is used while being connected to an image forming apparatus is proposed. In a system including such a book binding apparatus, when a configuration is employed in which an apparatus for punching holes in sheets, and that for binding punched sheets with a binder are installed independently from each other, the system becomes bulky.
Therefore, a book binding apparatus is proposed that includes a punching section which punches holes in a sheet, and a binding section on which punched sheets are stacked, and which attaches a binder to the holes of the sheets (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 4,389,798 and Japanese Patent No. 5,010,526).
In a related-art book binding apparatus including a punching section and a binding section, in the case where a process of discharging sheets on which only punching is conducted is to be performed, the sheets are discharged onto a tray that is identical with a tray onto which binder-bound booklets are to be discharged.
When sheets on which only punching is conducted, and binder-bound booklets are mixedly stacked on the same tray, a sorting process requires much trouble. Moreover, the tray must be configured so as to be suitable to both sheets on which only punching is conducted, and which are discharged one by one, and binder-bound booklets.
In an apparatus in which different kinds of processes can be performed, and which has a configuration where media that undergo different kinds of processes are discharged onto the same tray, as described above, there arise problems due to mixed stack of media that are differently processed, and due to discharging in which media that are differently processed are discharged onto the same tray.